By Cris Barrish
When Delaware Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long bounded onstage in September to announce her candidacy for governor, she waved her closest ally and confidante onto the crowded platform.
A burly, bespectacled guy strode toward Hall-Long and the two shared a warm embrace. The man was Dana Long, the lieutenant governor’s husband of 36 years.
As Hall-Long sketched out her vision for making Delaware a better place to live, work, and raise a family, her husband — a former military man and her trusty campaign treasurer since she entered politics in 2000 — stood behind her, beaming with pride.
The official start of her long-anticipated gubernatorial bid in downtown Wilmington was a watershed day in the couple’s four-decade journey that began at a rural Sussex County high school, where the scholarly, athletic farm girl first fell for the older football player.
But while the duo aspiring to be Delaware’s first couple radiated optimism during Hall-Long’s Sept. 12 campaign kickoff, trouble that had been brewing for weeks was about to burst into public view.
It led to the campaign being put on hold, with sources indicating that Hall-Long initially thought about dropping out, but later moved forward as key staff quit the campaign.
An audit of previous campaigns was conducted with the lieutenant governor declaring that no major problems were found.
Still, the outside audit has not been released, with one long-time political observer warning that a drip-drip of disclosure could turn into a flood that could sink the campaign.
Others say that the primary election is a long ways off and voters have forgiven previous problems that included her husband being cited for stealing campaign signs of Hall Long’s state senate opponent.
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